Juno probe returns close-up Jupiter pictures

The US space agency (Nasa) has released spectacular new images of Jupiter acquired by its Juno probe.

The pictures show the swirling clouds of the gas giant at both its poles - views that no previous mission has managed to acquire in such detail.

Juno captured the data last weekend as it made its first close approach to the planet since going into orbit in July.

The flyby took the spacecraft just 4,200km above Jupiter's multi-coloured atmosphere.

The 6MB of data downlinked to Earth from the encounter is still being analysed, but principal investigator Scott Bolton said new things were already obvious.

"First glimpse of Jupiter's north pole, and it looks like nothing we have seen or imagined before. It's bluer in colour up there than other parts of the planet, and there are a lot of storms," the Southwest Research Institute scientist explained in a Nasa statement.

"There is no sign of the latitudinal bands or zones and belts that we are used to - this image is hardly recognisable as Jupiter.

"We're seeing signs that the clouds have shadows, possibly indicating that the clouds are at a higher altitude than other features."

Jonathan Nichols from the University of Leicester, UK, is a member of the Juno mission's science team.

He told the BBC that his colleagues were bowled over when they first saw the pictures: "The team's reaction was amazement. 'Look at these images; they are coming from Jupiter; we're flying over the pole for the first time!' It's just jaw-dropping."Image copyright


When the Juno probe arrived at Jupiter in July, its instruments and camera were switched off.

It had to perform a critical rocket manoeuvre to get into orbit - and engineers did not want the complication of taking pretty pictures at the same time. But after successfully turning around the planet, Juno booted up its other systems, and last Saturday's return pass was the first opportunity to get a good look at the gaseous world.

The probe's Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) has acquired unique views of Jupiter's southern aurora.

Earth telescopes have tried but failed to get such images.

And Juno's Radio/Plasma Wave Experiment (Waves) has recorded the blizzard of particles moving through the planet's super-strong magnetic field.